Abbott was appointed to the court directly from the Liberal Party of Canada's Cabinet, where he had served the previous 7 years as Finance Minister.[2] The appointment is considered one of the most controversial in the history of the Supreme Court.[2] It was the first appointment directly from cabinet since the 1911 appointment of Louis-Philippe Brodeur.[2] As of 2019, Abbott was the last Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada appointed directly to the Court from the Cabinet of Canada, and the last Justice to have held elected office prior to his appointment.[citation needed]